#sorry if there are mistakes my computer is at 9% askldjdlas

[songofsoma]

Everything

fandom: the wayhaven chronicles pairing: francine fairbanks x adam du mortain words: 1,511 rating: general

based off of this ask [ but deeper into the relationship ]

featuring @blightning​‘s detective :-)

read it on ao3

In all nine-hundred years of his life, Adam had never felt fear like this.

He had only left the damned medical wing for ten minutes when Agent Fairbanks pulled him aside for an urgent briefing covering the outcome of their prior mission. Although there was no true need to discuss the events that were now burned into his memory.

The way those lovely grey eyes filled with fear.

The beast’s claws ripping through fabric and flesh.

The smell of her blood as it pooled on the floor.

Every time he closed his eyes, Francine was lying in a heap on the floor in front of him, writhing in pain.

Letting the medics take her from his arms had been one of the hardest things to do. He couldn’t lose her. Adam wouldn’t survive it. What kind of sick joke would it have been to find the other half of himself after all these years, only to have her torn from his grasp?

The very thought made his throat tighten.

Him being on edge made matters worse when he had returned to the infirmary, only to find a frantic Elidor and an empty hospital bed.

Within minutes, the whole Warehouse was on lockdown in search of the detective.

Adam had tried his best to mask his panic. The icy sting of anxiety was coursing through his veins as clenched fists were itching to tear the building apart, piece by piece until she was located.

“Damnit, Francine,” he muttered to himself as he stalked the halls. 

Please come back to me.        

If he had been alone maybe, just maybe, he would have said that last phrase aloud. But he couldn’t bring himself to present a shred of vulnerability to the other members of Unit Bravo. They looked at him to be their leader in crises such as this one. Adam had to keep his focus on the mission and not his emotional involvement.

Francine is not just a mission.

He stifled a groan. Adam would be lucky if his traitorous thoughts didn’t age him another century by the end of this.

“Let’s split up,” Nate suggested. “We can cover more ground that way.”

“She couldn’t have gotten far in the shape she was in.” It Felix’s unsuccessful attempt at lightening the mood as he and Mason split off from the group.

Mason glared but kept his remark to himself.

Adam rubbed his forehead with a heavy sigh. He must have been doing a poor job at masking his agony for Nate rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, a look of sympathy hanging in his gaze.

“We’ll find her.”

He only nodded and said curtly, “Let me know as soon as you find anything.”

“Of course.”

They parted ways, Nate wringing his hands as he walked.

Adam ran a hand over his hair. Squeezing his eyes shut for a brief moment, he blew out a tense breath before beginning down the hall.

An hour passed and they found nothing.

***

The majority of the Warehouse had been swept in search of the missing detective—but all efforts were unsuccessful. It was as if Frankie had become a ghost and walked through the walls to avoid being seen by anyone.

So far, Adam had broken two doors, a solid oak desk, and left behind a decent size crater in someone’s filing cabinet.

He had refused to give up. Even though it was dark, he was determined to begin searching the surrounding forests for Francine. 

There was a disgruntled air that followed him everywhere he walked. Nate was lucky that the menacing radiating from him didn’t immediately make a few of his favored plants wilt in seconds. 

He trudged through the door of his bedroom under the excuse he had to grab his coat. But in truth, he needed a moment alone to grieve his potential loss.

And the moment the door shut, Adam let out a yell of frustration, his fist slamming into the desk pushed up against the wall.

Two desks. He had broken two desks now.

He stood there for a long moment, his chest rising and falling heavily and heart pounding. 

“Please,” he choked out. The recipient of his pleas was unknown, even to himself. “Please don’t take her from me.”

A soft sigh sounded from across the room, followed by the shifting of blankets.

Startled, Adam froze, eyes desperately searching the dark room until they landed on the bed.

A huddled mass was curled up beneath the sheets. And as he approached, a cry of relief threatened to leave him. Even in the dark, he recognized her.

Short brown hair pooled beneath her head on the navy pillowcase. Her eyelashes left long shadows on her cheeks, deepening the color of a bruise on her cheekbone. Her lips were parted, and her breathing was even. She looked so peaceful.

“Francine,” Adam whispered, mostly to himself as if to confirm she was in fact there and safe. She had been there the entire time, right under his nose. Had she truly sought out his presence in a time of need?

His mind was an internal battle of adoration and guilt—for he loved her more than anything, but he wasn’t there when she needed him.

Adam swallowed hard, sitting on the edge of the bed. He watched her for a long moment, unsure if he should risk disturbing her.

However, if there was one truth in this world, it is that Adam was a weak man when it came to Francine Fairbanks.

With a hesitant hand, he gently ran the backs of his fingers against her cheek, the one that wasn’t burrowed into the pillow, being mindful of her injuries. Though he snapped it back when she shifted, murmuring something unintelligible under her breath. 

For a frightening moment, Adam thought he had woken her and was ready to begin profusely apologizing. 

Instead, Frankie moved closer to him, her knees pressing against his lower back.

All of the tenderness of the moment was lost when the door swung open, revealing Felix’s form silhouetted against the light from the hall.

“Nate sent me to check on y—” he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening at the sight in front of him. “You found her!”

Adam hushed him furiously, silently praying she didn’t wake up.

“Please tell Nate that I am fine and that I found the detective.”

“And that you’re not to be bothered, understood.” He did a mock salute before hurrying out the way he came, leaving the couple alone once more.

There was a tug at the back of his shirt.

Francine was looking up at him through a heavy-lidded gaze, sleep still hanging in her eyes.

Adam knelt by the side of the bed, taking her hand in his large ones to kiss her knuckles. “I apologize for waking you.”

A small smile tugged at her lips though she said nothing.

“I was worried about you. The Agency was nearly tearing the building down brick by brick in search of you.”

As quickly as it had come, the smile fell. “I’m sorry.” Frankie’s whisper was hoarse.

Making her feel guilty was not his intention. He just wanted him to know how desperate he had been to find her. How scared he had been of losing her. It was as if he believed he could confess all of his fears in two minor sentences.

His hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing over her cheeks gently. As much as he looked for something to say, he couldn’t string the words together. All he could do was lean forward and press a kiss to her forehead.

She was here.

He had her.

She was safe.

Frankie took advantage of the closeness to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him close. He followed her lead, sliding his arms around her, being cautious to avoid hurting her. It took every bit of restraint to not pull her in closer against his chest.

They stayed like that for a few long breaths, basking in each other’s company, until Frankie broke the silence.

“Can I stay here?” The words were so soft that it hurt.

He blinked in surprise. “Of course, what is mine is yours.”

Adam wouldn’t admit that he would prefer to keep her close.

“Will…” she seemed a bit hesitant to finish her question. “Will you stay?”

The warmth in her gaze was threatening to make him melt. “If that is what you would like.”

“More than anything.”

Frankie scooted over slowly as Adam toed off his boots to allow him to slide under the covers next to her.

With a sigh of satisfaction, Frankie settled into his arms, her head tucked under his chin.

They laid in comfortable silence. 

Adam listened as her breathing evened out once more and her body relaxed against him. He held her tightly, silently swearing to himself that she would be wanting for nothing, that he would always be there in her times of need.

He owed her everything for the way she loved him because Francine was his everything.